Apparatus for drying fur pelts



Sept. 18, 1928. 1,684,927

A. PIERINI ET AL APPARATUS FOR DRYING FUR PELTS Fil l927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 THERNO flL YE Sept. 18, 1928.

A. PlERlNl ET AL APPARATUS FOR DRYING FUR PELTS Filed Feb- 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 -12," HULK;

3 9 t 0w h 4 6 S I t e e h S 3 S T L E P L AWE T E IY mmb aw H un TF A R A P D A Sept. 18, 1928.

'Patented Sept. 18, 1928.

i 1,684,927 P TENT; o-FF cE.

ATTILIO PIERINLOF SPRINGFIELD GARDENS, NEW YORK; ARTHUR T. HOPKINS, 013 oAMBRInGnnnD HARRY M. HAVEN, or WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING FUR PELTS.

Application filed. February a, 1927. Serial in. 165,655.

The present invention is an apparatus for drying dyed fur pelt-sand skins, and has for its main object rapiddrying of large quan tities of. skins in suchamanner that the thoroughly, dried and theiskin pelts are dried sectional View to the extent and in. such a mannerthat they avilljnot become hard and brittle so as not to crack or become too sti lf for commercial purpo'ses orto be worked.

With theabo ve and other objects in view the invention resides in sundry details of construction, combination and arrangement.

bf pa rtshereinafterinore fully described and pointed outin the appending claims. I

The accompanying drawlngs illustrate and the specification describes the invention in. the form in which it is considered to be the,

best, but the invention is not limited to such form therein described, because it is capable of being einb odied in other formspbut it is to be understood that in and by the claims.

follow'ng the] description herein, it is in tended. to cover theinvention in whatever form it may embody or be practiced within the scope thereof. p i

In the, drawingswhich show the pr embodiment of the drying apparatus as'at present devised: i

. Figure 1 is a plan View of the drying apparatus; i 1 p a p I Figure 2' isa side elevation ofthe inven tion as illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 V Figur'es 1 and 2' to show the interior thereof; i

Figure 4 is a transverse taken substantially on line 4+4 of Figure 3; F igure, 5 is [fragmentary longitudinal through the entrance of the drier. v i

Throughout the drawings and specification like reference characters denote similar and the parts whereverreferred to. lVithparticular reference. to the drawings,

the drying apparatusof this invention COlIl-;

ferred sectional V lOW face covered with a facin referabl plaster, thus retarding the heat radiation and causing a substantial uniform tempera: I .ture within the drying chamber. Wet fur surfaces thereof are quickly and.-

The conduit 1,.is a closed tunnel-like con strnction, but is here shown as. being sub-s stantially rectangular-1n cross secti'on, with its forward or receiving end closed by an end wall 2 provided with. a. restricted entrance open'lng 3 and its other-end portion reduced ing from. its forward endprovides what is termed the drying chamber A, and has ts bottom wall or floor 4 flat and smooth (composed preferably of, maple withsmooth .sandena )ered finish su 3 orted on two Jarallel channel irons, 5 running the entire lengthof the drying chamber. The channel 1rons are supported in position by the verti-v cal support members 6, which may be sus pe'ndedfromthe ceilingv or the like, and also support on their underside the bearing blocks 7 1n whichthe dle support rollers 8 and 8 are journalled.

. 'At the rear end of the channel member s fi, I

where the floor or lower wall 4: ofthe drying 1 chamber A terminates, the bottom of the conduit :is oft-set inwardly, as at 9, clearly Ijshown in Figures 2 and 3, to provide an outletor discharge opening 10. Rearwaidly of B in which is disposed a heating unit H, composed of steam-heated 0O1l$ of a type the' oif-set portion 9, is the heating chamber- I is a longitudinal sect onal view .of the dryer asillustrated in which may he slid into and out of position h 3 through a sideopening inthe conduit when the Jo nts or coupl ngs-11 are disconnected.

At the rear of the chamber B, the conduit has its side wall converging to produce a fan gblOWGI' easing'C j in which is. journalled a suitable fan-blower. F.

A conveyor belt 12 is extended throughthe opening 3 in the conduit and is supported by and passes over the floor 4. thence around a drive roll 8 and back .under the 1 through the outletor discharge opening 10 bottom wall or flooring l of theconduit where it'engages and; is supported at intervals by other idle rollers 8. The belt or conveyer 12 is of a continuous or endless type and from the entrance opening 8 is;

extended downwardly, as indicated in Fig-' ures 2 and 8. to a table 13 where it'passes over other idle and spacing rolls 8". The

have been subjected the longest tothe dr ing ing operation and then passes progressive lower end oi the endless belt 12, is caused to travel ina horizontal plane by reason of the idle rollers 8 being disposed in a horizontal plane so that whenjskins or pelts are placed on the portion 14 of the belt they will travel upwardly to the dryer. This vertical lifting by the belt 12 is accomplished. in co-. operation with a second endless 'belt 15 which is'arranged in juxtaposition with the carrying or supporting surface of the vertical portion of the belt12, the belt 15passingover suitably arranged idle rollers 16 supported on the table 13 and over the rollers .17 journalled at the forward end of the con duit and supportedby the channel members 5. The belt 12 is held taut by a weighted roller 18 slidably journalled in a vertical slot 19 in oneleg 20,01 the table 13, suitable weights 21 being suspended from the roller,

The belt 15 in like'r'nanner is held taut by weights 22" secured, to a chain; 22 passing over sheaves23- and connected with the roller 17 which isvslidably mounted as indicated by the dotted-line inlFigure 2L V 1 The drying chamber; A 's designed to be of any desirable a length, however, the ones now in use are ofv approximately 125 feet long, and 6feet wide and have drying capacity of'abou t GOQrabbit skins per hour. The drying is accomplished by-a current of heated air emanating from the fan blower F and passingethrough the heater-H from whence it traverses the entire length of the drying chamber A in a dir ection opposite to the direction oflthe movement of the skins therethrough. It will thus be seen that the 1 dry heated air coming from the, heating chamber B firstacts upon; the skins which operation and thereby morequickly absorbs the moisture therefrom to complete the dryover less dried skins-l U Upon reachingtheforw-ard end of the drying chamber, the heatedaair' is diverted by the end wall 25 into the lateral ducts 24 'on the opposite sides thereof which are connected with a return conduit underlying for a distance the drying chambers and then isoif-set laterally, as at and connected at itsrear end tdthe fan casing, C

whereby the heated air may be recirculated.

In the o'pe ration'of the device, very little of the air will be lost through the opening 3 as this opening will be partially closed by the fur, peltsenteriugthe sameand by reason of the, suction from the fan Fin the conduits 24 and '25. y V

After the fun/pelts have traversed the length of the drying chamber A on th'e belt 12 they are passed through the outlet opening 10 at which point they drop from the belt into a chute '26 and are delivered to a suitable b sket or receptacle 27 arranged at oradjacent the floor.

mental rack 31.

From the device at presentdllustratedithe front end portion of the rhturn conduit 25 isshown as a structural part of the front a plate Qandas supported therefrom; ;How-; "I i ever, the conduit may, be supported invany suitable or approved way.

. D.oors .ZSuare provided in the side walls r of the conduit 1 at intervals along the length i for the purpose of permitting access to the interior thereof. The return air conduit 25 is provided at its forward end with a damper 29, which when openwill cause part ofthe" returning aii to beldischarged ma ine device, and atitsrear end withpa damper 30 adjacent the fan Rfihich when open will permit fresh or cooled fair tobe drawn into the apparatus. The dampers Q9 and ,30jmay V be actuated to siiit the operating conditions and the particular desires and requirements for the material being, treated, and as-a" means for regulating the temperature ofthe air in the apparatus The said dampers may be held in adjusted position by any suitable means, suchuas by the usualfseg- The belt is driven from-driving a 8? which has; a pulle v32 fast thereon and which is connecte "up with any ,suitable drive mechanism {LO- preferablytactuated by a motor 41! In ordertovary the speed of the belt 12 a combination er pulleys may be provided 4 n a pose, although any other desired'means 42' m yh i qvi d i Pr ra ly i I 100 driven by an independent electrical motor suspended from a supporting bracket 33 also supporting the rear end of the-conduit. The

driving mechanism of the belt,.12is, preferabl rranged at the dry end of the drying' 0 amber; ihaeeyeraeaing the detest? i mg means from themoisture which prevails iar en the skins and cause' tlieih to bet-oo brittle to be worked or for commercial purposes .These aims are accomplished accord ing to the. present method by placing the skinsu rfaces of the pelts against the conveyer belt 12 so that, when the same is delivered to the entrance 30f the.drying chamher, the fur'surface of the pelts are upperf most and are subjected to the heated air currents passin'gthereoven the jar, surface r of the pelts and the belt 12' (in engagement 2 with floor surface 4) protecting the inter mediately 4 positionedj skins from drying too quickly or to. too great extent, while the furwill bedryin qnickly and thoroughly. 1

Having ems de scribed the preferred emno which, will accomplishjthis pur-' l A, e .W We; semestee of the-method of, the inyention; that l bodiment of the invention, as at'present ole-- vised, and in what manner the same is to be performed, that which is claimed as new and novel is:

1. A drying apparatus comprising an elongated conduit having an entrance at one end and an air inlet at the other end from which an air current is introduced into the conduit, a conveyer in said. conduit to move the material to be dried from said entrance to a material discharge opening intermediate the length of said conduit, and a heating ele ment interposed between said point ofdis- Yd admitting fresh air thereto, and means forcirculating said air.

2. A drying apparatus comprising an enclosed elongated conduit having a material entrance opening at one end portion and a material discharge opening at an intermediate portion thereof, a supporting frame underlying said conduit between said entrance opening and discharge opening, supporting rollers journalled in said frame and under said conduit, an endless c'onveyer disposed to move over the bottom wall of said conduit from said entrance opening to said discharge opening, whence passing through said dis charge opening over said supporting rollers to said entrance opening, means for actuat ing one of said rolls whereby the belt is operated, and means at the other end of said conduit for'introducing air thereinto.

3. A drying apparatus comprising an enclosed elongated conduit having a material entrance opening at one end portion and a material discharge opening at an intermediate portion thereof, a supporting frame underlying said conduit between said entrance opening and discharge opening, supporting rollers journalled in said frame and under said conduit, an endless conveyer disposed to move over the bottom wall of said conduit from said entrance opening to said discharge opening, whence passing through said discharge opening over said supporting rollers to said entrance opening, means for actuating one of said rolls whereby the belt is operated, the other end portion of said conduit having 1t-s walls converging to provide a fan blower casing, and a fan mounted in said casing.

4c. A fur pelt drying apparatus comprising an elongated horizontal conduit having a heat insulated wall, an entrance at one end and an air inlet at the other end from which an air current is introduced into the conduit, a belt conveyor resting on said wall in said conduit to receive and move the pelts with the fur portion uppermost and the skin portion in juxtaposition with the conveyor,

whereby the fur portion is subjected to the rying currents and the skinportion protected from too intensive drying, said con duit having a material discharge opening intermediate the ends thereof.

ing an elongated conduit having an entrance at one end and an air inlet at the other end from which an air current is in- 5. A fur pelt drying apparatus compristroduced into the conduit, one Wall of said conduit being adapted to support the pelts during the drying and having the same moved thereover, conveyor means for moving said fur pelts over said wall from said entrance to a material discharge opening with the fur'portion innermost and exposed to the drying currents and the skin portion outermost and adjacentto said wall, whereby the skin portion is protected by said wall against drying hard and brittle.

6QA fur pelt drying apparatus comprising an elongated conduit having an entrance at one end and an air inlet at the other end from which an air current is introduced into the conduit, one wall of said conduit being adapted to support the pelts during the drying and having the same moved thereover, conveyor means for moving said fur pelts over said'wall from said entrance to a material discharge opening with the fur portion innermost and exposed to the drying currents and the skin portion outermost and adjacent to said wall, whereby the skin portion is protected against drying hard and a brittle, said discharge opening being intermediate the length of said conduit, the air inlet end, of the conduit having its walls converging, and an air current producing means connected to the end of said converging walls.

Inv testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

ATTILIO PIERINL ARTHUR- T. HOPKINS. HARRY M. HAVEN. 

